It was beautiful how nature reclaimed these ruins. Water flooded the cobbled road leading to the arched entrance giving a home to various fish and plant life inhabiting the area. A small river from the sea fed the river and gave life to the flora which covered the massive stone walls. Far into the distance a towering statue of Anubis watched over the ruins, a key indicator of those who built this paradise. Any beast wandering into this territory could have been lost in the majesty of the scenery, but hungry eyes filled the darkened hallways.

Laughing erupted from the ruins echoing through the air. It sounded as if the party were surrounded by maniacs. As their eyes looked to the stone walls they caught only a glimpse of quick moving figures. The party's eyes looked to Jyuta who was busy scratching behind his ear like he paid no attention to the sounds around him. And after the laughed subsided, the air was filled with angry growls and roars. Numerous hyetzi shrouded in various armours rushed out into the open with weapons in hand. Imperial breastplates, Northrim gauntlets, some wore the chitinous armour found in insect beastfolk, and others went completely bare save for the cloths protecting their loins. Now that the party had seen these hyetzi, Jyuta seemed more civilized than his brethren. The only common item they all wore were bones. Human, elf, dwarf, even other beastfolk, their bones were turned into armour, necklaces, ear piercings, weapons, and belt clips.

A shirtless hyetzu lazily walked up to Jyuta and yawned rather loudly. The other beasts continued being on guard. Each move the party made was met with glaring eyes, clenched fingers, and more hungry growls. It was a bit comical comparing them to the sleepy hyetzu in front of them.

Jyuta and Tomok began to smell one another as they paced around in a circle for a few moments. It must have been odd for the party to witness these animals to do this in front of them. But for hyetzi, smells were excellent indicators of many things. Health, identity, where they traveled, even as a form of greeting.

“Jyuta!” hollered Tomok. “So glad to see ya'! Who're these beasts? Ya' bringin' us exotic meats? Never had snake before.”

Jyuta turned to look at the party, as if contemplating the choice, then turned back to Tomok with a grin forming on his face.

“No. They're here to help us. Came all the way from Cro-Cabra, yeah. Treat 'em like honoured guests.”

“Cro-Cabra?” questioned the hyetzi. “How could ya' do it? Them centaurs are kinda smelly. Ah, nevermind, it dun' matter. Let's get this over with, have 'em come up so I can smell 'em.”

“Nah, they don't smell each other. It's not what beasts do out there.”

“Really? Huh. Then how do they greet each other?”

“They shake hands.”

Jyuta held out his hand to Tomok who cocked his head quizzically. Tomok looked up to Jyuta as if to ask what was he supposed to do next. He opened his mouth to lick Jyuta's hand, but Jyuta shook his head 'no' and motioned for Tomok to follow his lead. Confused, Tomok extended his own hand and watched as Jyuta locked hands in a firm grip. Then the hands went up and down to Tomok's amusement.

The hyetzu laughed hysterically and nodded his head in enjoyment.

“I like this!” he hollered.

The other hyetzi warriors eased their weapons down and looked to each other curiously. Some even attempted to replicate the hand shake they just witnessed and found equal enjoyment in the greeting.

Tomok went to the party and made it a point to shake each and every single hand with joy.

[Welcome to Clan Tosca. There are a few areas to explore and beasts to talk to. The matriarch is currently speaking with her advisers and will take some time before conversing with you. In the meantime, you have free reign of the ruins.]

Centre Plaza – The Centre Plaza is the centre most area in the ruins. It is filled with numerous ponds where hyetzu swim and others where they fish. The plaza is mainly used for socializing and conversing with one another. Hyetzu here primarily smell one another, talk about their battles, or sleeping on rocks. There is food to eat here but mainly consists of water herbs, river plants, and fresh fish. Though it is rather tasteless, it is the best offered in the ruins as hyetzu have a reputation for eating anything and everything. Tomok and Jyuta are located here. Herbs can be collected here.

Old Library – In these ruins rests a vast library where books lie in dust and dirt. Hyetzu have no need for these tomes and often resort to using the papers to line their beds or fueling their fires when no other materials are present. But even with this, there are numerous books left over from years ago in many languages. The hyetzu are not sure what these books detail. Ula the clan historian is located here. [HARBALISM TALENT] Slight chance to create useful potions.

Burning Hall – Weapons storage and armours from defeated foes are kept safe here. The hyetzu have no idea how to forge objects or even how to maintain their wares. It was nearly impossible for them to stay in one place, imagine them trying to learn agriculture or smithing. The only reason they keep the coals burning in the forge is because they like the warmth it provides. A few hyetzu chose this place to sleep and don't mind the extra noise (they are used to the sound of a roaring fire). It is a miracle in itself that the forge is kept in great shape, even if it is in a state of disuse.

The Stone Door – Deep within the ruins is a large stone door. The hyetzu tried to open it once but after numerous attempts gave up. Two hyetzu, however, are located down here with pickaxes in hand trying to pry open the door. They say a mountain of gold is located in here, others say nothing but a terrible monster lies in wait. Travel here for more details. Yama and Tama are located here.

Morgaine Cattell had walked along in silence, staying near the back of the group. She didn’t really like the look of most of the party, and was starting to really reconsider her decision. At least the scenery’s nice, she thought, glancing around at the marvelous ruins. They really were marvelous, at that: huge stone walls overgrown with lush foliage, a towering statue looming over all, and water trickling in from everywhere gave the place an enchanting effect. However, as she looked around, the arachnian couldn’t help but notice odd, loping shapes and hungry-looking eyes moving around in the dark. She moved a little closer to Dya… and outright yelped as loud insane laughter filled the air.

Jyuta was the only one who seemed unbothered as hordes of armed, bone-covered hyetzi emerged from the ruins, and surrounded the party. No’ydya found herself hugged by a very definitely frightened Morgaine, who looked around at the dangerous-looking, fur-covered monsters with wide eyes. T-there are so many… she thought, until she spotted one sleepy-looking one step out and start talking to Jyuta. The arachnian blinked, before giggling a little at how comical ‘Tomok’ acted. And, as he and Jyuta shook hands and the motion spread to the other hyetzi, Morgaine continued to relax further. “They’re like a bunch of puppies!” She said, meaning to direct the comment at just Dya, but it was loud enough for the others to hear.

Meanwhile, Tomok went around shaking their hands, which Cattell replied to with some vigorous shaking herself, and a grin. Once that was over, they were led into the ruins proper, presumably to meet someone. Jyuta made it clear that that someone was busy at the moment, though, she the arachnian glanced around, before her gaze fell on No’ydya.

As the horde of Hyetzu encircled them, Dya sunk a hand into her bag, finding a knife, just in case things went poorly. At the same time, a terrified-looking Morgaine hugged onto her tightly at the approach of so many strange beastfolk.

Finally, the tension broke when one of the Hyetzu stepped forth and began a comical exchange with Jyuta involving a clumsy handshake, which was immediately replicated by some of the others.

"They're like a bunch of puppies!" Morgaine exclaimed, letting go and receiving an enthusiastic handshake from the one who had addressed Jyuta, who then shook No'ydya's hand with even more fervor, and went on through the group looking for the next available hand to shake.

"Well, these guys seem nice enough..." Dya commented, taking a while to give the ruins a once over from where she was standing. Obviously, the buildings were constructed long ago, by some civilization more advanced than the current occupants. There appeared to be many places to explore and get lost, and she had no clue where would be best to start.

"So... where do you want to go?" Morgaine asked.

"I dunno," Dya smiled and shrugged, "I was about to ask you the same question... Maybe we should just start looking around, and see what we find?"

It only took the party a few hours or so to reach Carrion. At this point, Ressad didn't even know the difference between days and hours. Night was just another brief period of time to him, as though it was the shade of the clouds under the sun. Passing, but never remaining for long.

Carrion itself was a wreck and a beautiful one. Greens sprouted of the dead faces of buildings. The rooms had crossed the line between being in disrepair. They were beyond repair; fully sustained by nature. Jyuta gave a crude orientation of the place before they arrived. The library and plaza caught his ear the most.

However, for such an elegant place, even in its blatant state of disrepair, the Tonga tribe managed to look even more savage. They made Jyuta look like a first class citizen. The being said, they welcomed the group with much enthusiasm. Ressad shook one's hand, only to notice a dark spot on his claw. He lifted it to his beak and scanned the smell, only to start gagging.

"They're like a bunch of puppies!" the youngest of the group exclaimed, before asking her companion a question "So... where do you want to go?"

"I dunno," the lizard-woman answered, "I was about to ask you the same question... Maybe we should just start looking around, and see what we find?"

"That library sounds like my kind of place. I just hope they are better librarians than they are house-keepers."

"Or just anything pertaining the hygiene." He said staring wide-eyed at the random smudge of something that got wiped off on his hand.

"I dunno," Dya smiled and shrugged, "I was about to ask you the same question... Maybe we should just start looking around, and see what we find?"

The bird-man that had accompanied the group came over, looking at some odd smudge on his hand. Or whatever it was the avian called his version of a hand. Before Morgaine could reply to No’ydya’s suggestion in the affirmative, the avian spoke up.

"That library sounds like my kind of place. I just hope they are better librarians than they are housekeepers." He said, before muttering something else under his breath and wandering off. Cattell, however, skittered after him, laying a pale hand on his shoulder.

“Library?!” She asked, once she got a hold of the avian. “Where is it? Can I see it?” The arachnian went on, her own eyes widening for a completely different reason than Ressad’s.

Maulfield, after partaking in the most awkward handshake of all time, sniffed the air:

He smelled what one would smell in an old ruin infested by Hyenas: Blood, Bones, Mold, Rotting Paper, Dust and Cobwebs, and...

"Herbs!" he said "There are Herbs here!"

He approached Tomok and Jytua and said "Good Sirs, I, as a Side Job, am a Healer of wounds. A Herbalist, you might say. Do you mind if I pick some of these Herbs? They may prove useful in potions and powders..."

At the mere mention of books, Morgaine was off. No'ydya didn't doubt the arachnian would be consumed with books for at least the rest of the day.

"Enjoy yourself, and be careful!" she called after her friend. She suspected Morgaine would be safe with the avian, who'd been nothing but pleasant for the whole trip from Cro-Cabra.

Meanwhile, she figured she may as well attempt to atone with the naga, whom she'd not spoken to since their incident in town. The last thing she wanted was to have another reason to keep looking over her shoulder.

"Uh, hey..." she said, approaching him cautiously, but with a grin, "I wanted to apologize again for our misunderstanding back in Cro-Cabra. I don't really know much of anything about your people or your culture, but I'm sure I was entirely out of line, and I'll try not to let it happen again."

She looked around, casually making sure they weren't being paid much mind before continuing, still smiling, though speaking much more quietly, "Look, I'm sure you trust these Hyetzu about as far as I do. It might be best to have a plan to deal with any sort of problems we might face with them, you know? Would you mind wandering out of earshot with me to talk strategy?"

"Come on then!" she said, returning to a normal volume while maintaining the cheerful charade, "Let's go catch some fish!"

There was something appealing to Loka about the hyetzu. It wasn't their ways, nor their mannerisms, nor (he noted with disgust as one shook his head) their hygiene. Instead, it was their simplicity. Theirs was a civilization unbound by the rules and regulations put forth in other civilizations to keep peace. Here, the strong ruled the weak, and the weak died. Simple.

Loka could get used to that.

He slithered with the others, ignoring their conversations (honestly, did the spider-woman intend to do anything useful on this trip?) as he took in the area. It was clear that the Hyetzu had done very little with these ruins, instead inserting themselves among the broken buildings rather than rebuild in their own design. The simplicity crept up once again, as it was clear that if it had nothing to do with eating, sleeping, or killing, it was hardly worth the investment. He supposed that there were the rare few who preferred other pursuits, but for the most part, this was a society he understood.

He crossed his arms and scoped out the place, wondering where their lodgings may be and where he may best strike down the birdman (a library may be useful indeed), when the lizard-woman approached him wearing a too large smile. He avoided eye contact, but that did not stop her from talking to him. "I wanted to apologize again for our misunderstanding back in Cro-Cabra. I don't really know much of anything about your people or your culture, but I'm sure I was entirely out of line, and I'll try not to let it happen again."

"Had nothing to do with my culture. Had only to do with me," he said for an answer. He still did not look at her, instead looking through the ruins. He saw some high places that could be advantageous, especially since he doubted these hyetzu could scale these buildings quietly.

The lizard-woman was not going to let herself be ignored. "Look, I'm sure you trust these Hyetzu about as far as I do. It might be best to have a plan to deal with any sort of problems we might face with them, you know? Would you mind wandering out of earshot with me to talk strategy?"

Before he could respond, she raised her voice loud enough to ensure that all eyes, whether they were paying them any attention, were now focused squarely on the two of them. "Let's go catch some fish!"

Any chance of stealth movement now ruined, he rolled his eyes, but raised his voice to match hers, putting a surprising amount of enthusiasm in it. "Yes, let's! I'm starving!" He then took her hand and dragged her down an alleyway towards a river he had seen on the way in. Now that the story started, he had to stick to it.

But, he spoke as he led the way, the jovial tone replaced with one of hard annoyance. "Had you not drawn attention to us, we could've had this conversation in plain sight--the best location for secrecy," he said. He continued to drag her (for even if she stopped moving her legs, she would be with him) and once they were hidden away, he released her hand.

He crossed his arms and drew himself up to a height taller than hers. "Speak."

"Had you not drawn attention to us, we could've had this conversation in plain sight--the best location for secrecy," the naga lectured as he pulled her along. When they got where he wanted to be, he crossed his arms and drew up to a height greater than hers; an easy feat, seeing as she was quite small by beastfolk standards. "Speak."

"Sorry, I just thought it would be best not to risk being overheard by so many..." she explained, "And I didn't know how you would react, so I figured it would be better to go someplace where there wasn't a risk of them eating you. Surely you heard them as we walked up? They're keen to get a taste of snake. And I don't think they deal with disturbances of the peace in as friendly a manner as the satyrs. Trouble makers here probably become dinner."

She crossed her own arms, staring him right back, a cold fury slowing filling her eyes and words as she spoke, "Look, I know you don't trust me, and I sure don't trust you. Out of the group we came here with, you are probably the last I would chose to save. But I WOULD save you, if it came to it. And heck, I don't even know your name! What I do know is that you seem to posses the keen senses, strength, and skill to hold your own pretty well. But even you have to sleep sometime, and who will be watching your back then? Or maybe you see them coming; I'm sure you can take a few of them at a time, hold them off for a while... But you can only have so much venom, so much stamina... They will wear you down, or simply overwhelm you with numbers. And you will still be alive when they tear you to shreds. The price of your arrogance."

No'ydya closed her eyes, took and released a deep breath, and when she looked at the naga again, her expression was one of pity.

"Even if I can't make you care," she continued, softly, "Even if there is no kindness for others in your heart, surely I can appeal to you with reason. Surely you can realize that more alert eyes and ears and noses on your side will only add to your chances of survival. That even if they never call you friend, having allies is better than being alone..."

Then came a sigh, and a shrug. "Or maybe you have a price... So, what will it be? You want money? I have eight coppers to my name, but I will promise you my entire share of whatever the Hyetzu pay us. Food? I will catch however many fish it takes to keep your belly full. Or does all your frustration and aggression stem from a more basic cause? When was the last time you sank your third fang into something other than your own hand?"

Jyuta paced around trying to get his head wrapped around the current situation regarding his clan. It has been a few years since he has set foot in these ruins and many things have changed. Tomok sat on a rock and watching Jyuta as he sniffed the air and looked to the other hyetzu around him.

"Doran?" asked Jyuta.

"Dead, Venatori," replied Tomok casually.

"Okay, how 'bout Ruki? Ruki is the fastest of all."

"Dead, Bloodmouth."

"Fahtar?"

"Dead. Interesting story that one, she-"

"Don't tell me! Gah!"

Jyuta snapped his jaws in the air in frustration. It felt like all f his friends were dead leaving only Tomok alive. At least Tomok was too lazy to be a scout, otherwise he would have been killed in the field as well. Jyuta seemed to have it easy in his travels across the wilds, and on some subconscious level, he felt terrible for it.

"Good Sirs, I, as a Side Job, am a Healer of wounds. A Herbalist, you might say. Do you mind if I pick some of these Herbs? They may prove useful in potions and powders..."

Tomok raised a brow and looked to Jyuta.

"This one talks funny, yeah? Why he askin' to pluck plants?"

"'Cause he ain't a rude jackass like you, hear?"

"Oi, I ain't no horseman."

"It's called an expression..."

Jyuta turned to Maulfield and nodded his head towards the lake.

"Pick what you want. Got lots a plants here."

Library

The library was much for impressive than what many would expect for a bunch of hyetzu. That was saying a lot. Numerous pages of books littered the floors and torn volumes formed piles in the corners of the library. But many more books survived on the shelves. They ranged in numerous languages detailing numerous subjects from short stories to journals collected from travelers and corpses. It seemed the only subject the library did not contain were information regarding the chaos races and magic.

Ula the clan historian, like the library, was unexpected. The plume of hair on her head was dyed red and she wore long robes. Cloth wrapping covered her breasts and she wore tan pants underneath, like that of an Achaean beastmaster. She smelled like rose petals and seemed to take pride in her personal grooming.

The historian sat on the floor attempting to piece together a torn book when Ressad and Morgaine entered her chambers.

"I am not going to tell you again, Tomok! You will not use these books for bed liners!"

She snarled as she turned her head only to witness the two outsiders stare at her.

"Ah, you're not Tomok. You certainly do not smell like him."

Ula placed her book on the ground and stretched her arms.

"They told me about your group, the ones Jyuta brought back. Are you interested in knowledge? Or are you here to take more of my pages?"

Loka found himself on the receiving end on a long talk from the lizard-woman, her lips flapping out all sorts of reasons for the two of them to form some kind of alliance. She spoke as if he was worried about these hyetzu somehow sneaking up on him and sinking their teeth into his flesh. That would be the day. They were too noisy to ever get the advantage on Loka and too undisciplined to beat him in a fight. She seemed to think that their numbers would give them some kind of advantage, but that would require them to actually band together in some kind of cohesive unit--another aspect Loka found unlikely.

"Even if there is no kindness for others in your heart, surely I can appeal to you with reason. Surely you can realize that more alert eyes and ears and noses on your side will only add to your chances of survival. That even if they never call you friend, having allies is better than being alone..."

Or merely add more people to betray him down the road. No, there was no need to entertain her foolish ideas. She may have been defenseless and weak, but Loka was not. He could handle a few hyetzu if push came to shove, which he doubted, and if it did, it meant more prey for the naga himself. There was no need--

"Or maybe you have a price... So, what will it be? You want money? I have eight coppers to my name, but I will promise you my entire share of whatever the Hyetzu pay us. Food? I will catch however many fish it takes to keep your belly full. Or does all your frustration and aggression stem from a more basic cause? When was the last time you sank your third fang into something other than your own hand?"

Third fang? Loka tilted his head quizzically at that. What was she referring to? He clearly had only two fangs in his mouth, long and sharp, clean too, and he didn't think he--

Wait.

No.

She couldn't be thinking about that could she? How could she know about that? He hadn't shown it to anyone--choosing to empty his bladder away from prying eyes. How could she be aware of that? True, it may have looked fang-like, he supposed, but how could she have known about it? Was she spying on him, even more than he had imagined? Were his senses failing him? Was she more gifted than he knew?

He shifted himself to lunge at her, his hands at her neck, and pinning her against a wall. He leaned in close, his tongue flicking out of his mouth onto her nose. "You spy on me? You've seen it?"

"Library?" A hand fell on his shoulder. It looked human. Ressad's feathers stood up on end for a second, but he was less alarmed when he saw that it was just a young arachnid girl.

She was a centaur of sorts, having the naked and smooth image of a man from the waist up and the sable, angular abdomen of a spider below that. Instead two legs, she had a total of eight. "Where is it? Can I see it?" she asked.

Ressad smiled genuinely. He very rarely encountered folk these days with a respect for literature and poetry- or just reading in general. "Just right... around" he sniffed the air. He'd smell a book anywhere. They were one of his few delights that remained unharmed by the rest of his life. "Here!"

"My name is Ressad, by the way. Do you like reading?"

"They told me about your group, the ones Jyuta brought back. Are you interested in knowledge? Or are you here to take more of my pages?"

"Knowledge or wisdom" he said, more enthusiastically than normal. "What kinds of books do you have around here?"

The naga sprung at her, slamming her into a wall, and placing his hands around her shoulders and neck.

"Woah!" she exclaimed, "Calm down, it was only a joke!"

He pressed in close, his hot breath hitting her with each word. "You spy on me? You've seen it?"

"What? No!" she replied, incredulous, "There was a time I would have, but your behavior the first time we met ended that fantasy."

Something about the way he said 'it' clued her into the possibility that maybe there was more to his words...

"Why would it matter if I'd seen it anyways?" No'ydya asked in a half-perplexed tone, "I've seen plenty of them before, intentionally or not. Every male has one, and they all get seen some time or another. Or is that some sort of taboo in naga culture? Do you guys have to wait for the wedding night or something?"

She relaxed a bit in his grip, figuring that struggling would only earn more of his ire than she had already. And then another thought as to why he'd be so sensitive to her criticism crossed her mind.

"Do you... have some reason to be ashamed of 'it'?" she asked, sympathy in her voice. "Did someone hurt you with their words in the past? I promise, I would never judge your worth by something so random as your anatomical proportions."

When she saw an opportunity to turn the tables, she took it. Slowly, cautiously, she placed her own hands on top of his.

And in the blink of an eye, she caught his flickering forked tongue in her mouth. As easily as she could have bitten it off, she didn't; No'ydya still meant no harm to the snake-man. Instead she held eye contact with him and gently sucked on it, intertwining it with her own tongue, and pulled his hands down onto her chest.

Either he'd be into it, and would play along, or he'd recoil in shock enough for her to at least squirm free of his grasp and put some distance between them...

Ressad smiled at Morgaine’s questioning, which gave the arachnian great hope. Even if she privately wondered how someone with a beak for a mouth and a nose managed to smile like that. She’d have to ask him later. "Just right... around..." he sniffed the air. "Here!" He announced, heading into the library in question.

"My name is Ressad, by the way. Do you like reading?" He asked, as they made their way through the wrecked building.

“Like it?” Cattell asked, “I love it!” She grinned. Apparently that was all it took to get her out of her metaphorical shell.

"I am not going to tell you again, Tomok! You will not use these books for bed liners!"

It was very easy to make her return to her meek self, though, as the suddenly barked phrases caused Morgaine to retreat from the robe-wearing hyetzu. Once she actually saw (and smelled) the avian and arachnian, though, Ula became a bit more welcoming.

"Ah, you're not Tomok. You certainly do not smell like him.They told me about your group, the ones Jyuta brought back. Are you interested in knowledge? Or are you here to take more of my pages?"

"Knowledge or wisdom," Ressad cut in enthusiastically before Morgaine could even get words to start forming. "What kinds of books do you have around here?"

So Cattell just nodded, excitedly. “I-I didn’t think I’d see this many books in a place like this… I-I haven’t seen any since I was in Nidavellir…”

One moment, he sees the fear in her eyes of his taking her life away in an instant, the next her eyes seem wide but not in fear, alert but not fearing for her life. That fear has evaporated into something...else. Something...Loka had never seen before.

Then, in the blink of an eye (or the flick of a tongue), she caught his own and sucked it into her mouth.

What kind of trickery is--

She didn't bite down. She didn't even chew. Instead, she sucked on his tongue gently, pressing hers against it, almost cradling it in her mouth. His hands, once on her shoulders, have been guided down to something softer, gentler. Her eyes, still locked on his, show an emotion he had never seen before.

As if to match her own unusual behavior, an unusual feeling rose up in Loka's body. Warmth. A sense of longing.

Terror.

He pulled his head back with a snap, yanking his tongue from her grasp. He slammed his hand against the wall on the side of her head, dangerously close to her ear.

For the briefest moment, No'ydya could have sworn she'd seen him change. A short second of revelation, where he didn't fight what was happening. His eyes had locked with hers and something buried deep inside came to the surface... and submerged again in a flash.

He jerked back, ripping apart from her and ramming his fist into the stone beside her head, hard enough that the noise it made left her ear ringing on that side.

"Go. Now!" the naga practically spat.

Dya turned, and began to hurry away, but then slowed, and finally stopped. She wanted to keep going, to get back to Morgaine and the others, but she realized that had to wait.

"I...can't," she began, apologetically, "When we left... We said we were going fishing, remember?. We've not been gone nearly long enough, nor have we caught or eaten a single fish. Thick as the Hyetzu are, they do pay attention, and they don't need more reasons to be suspicious."

She unslung her bag, and set it down on a nearby stone slab, carefully, as to make sure none of the contents could roll out. She walked past him, avoiding eye contact, and approached the small river that he had brought them to. While it wasn't stock full of fish, she did see some swimming in the lazy current.

At the riverbank, she turned her head halfway back towards him, eyes cast down. "It's okay," she continued solemnly, "if you just want to stay there... I'll catch some fish for the both of us. And besides, I've been wanting a bath since Cro-Cabra."

The water was cool as she waded in and as it rose above her hips she spoke once more.

"My name... it's No'ydya." she said flatly, and dove beneath the surface.

Kijani was becoming more and more convinced that she was lost. She remembered how hard she had pleaded to the Alliance commander at Maul Rock —a powerfully-voiced and foul-mouthed, though surprisingly good-humored, female centaur whose handshake varied from 'firm' to 'bone-crushing' depending on her mood and how much she liked you, who was the closest thing she had to a guardian with her mother away— to be allowed to go; Her stocks of some medicinal herbs had been getting low, and Cro-Cabra had a great market, but the Alliance troops at that outpost were preparing for a raid against the humans, and the commander didn't have anyone to spare to escort the blind serval on a 'shopping trip', and she didn't want to risk sending her favorite healer alone. But, eventually the commander had relented, and allowed her to go by herself. She'd been given instructions: just follow the beaten path, and keep the warmth of the rising sun on her left; It had all seemed so simple at the time, but thinking back on it now, she'd let her desire to help overreach what she could actually do.

There had been that place where the path split, and neither direction really seemed to keep the sun in the right place, so she'd just picked the one she thought was closest...

Plus, the commander had given her the distance compared to other places she'd walked to, and she'd calculated about how many steps it should be... which had been five steps ago.

Worse still, the wind wasn't cooperating —it was blowing from behind her, preventing her from getting a scent of what lay ahead, which might help her figure out if she was on the right track.

She was just about ready to stop and reconsider her options, when a distant sound caught her ears; it sounded like... laughter. Feeling excited and somewhat relieved, she headed towards where the sound had been —which was the same direction the path was headed. As she got closer, her sharp ears picked up another sound: running water. Cro-Cabra didn't have a river that she recalled, but running water plus voices could mean civilization of some sort! At the very least, she should be able to get directions.

As she continued further, the path became more indistinct and overgrown, and the ground grew damp beneath her feet. Then, her stick, which constantly described sweeping arcs across the ground before her as she walked —to prevent her from bumping into anything—, encountered something solid. Reaching forwards, she felt it: a stone wall, close-fitted and clearly well-made, but overgrown, not kept up. The scent of water and vegetation was strong around her... Where was she?

She didn't hear the 'laughter' anymore, but she continued onwards, trailing the fingers of her hand along the stone wall to follow it. "Uh, hello! Is anyone there?" she called out fairly loudly, though not as loud as she had intended —some deep instinct arguing against making too much noise.

She hoped the locals were friendly or, at the least, that the Minoan Alliance emblem on her cloak would dissuade them from doing anything violent.

"It has been so long since I have had the pleasure of introducing someone to my tomes."

Ula gestured towards the walls and walls of tattered books.

The Hollow King

Nightflower Blooms

A Guide to Herbal Remedies: River Plants

Journal: Studies on hyetzu

Journal: Studies on hyetzu vol. 2

The Nightwalker Army (Svartalfar Language)

The Kingdom of the Sea: Studies on Illikon

Kleitos Trade Fleet Manifest for Vessel Troika

Journal: A Journal Belonging to Thoma Yung

Would you like more options? (Y/N)

Carrion Kingdom Front Gate

Hyetzu lined the walls with bows in hand and arrows notched. They looked to one another in confusion as they watched the child bump into the walls of their fortress. They practically had the felesian surrounded on many fronts but the Minoan Alliance symbol on her hood prevented them from letting loose.

"Minoan. Ain't Juyta Minoan?"

"Yeah, so what of it?"

"So shouldn't we get him to talk to her?"

"Since when did Jyuta handle these things, ah? He leaves for two years and suddenly he's friggin' ambassador to wayward kids?"

"Can we eat 'er?"

"Ya' remember last time we ate felesian? Coughed up fur fer months. 'Sides, she ain't got no meat on 'er."

"Hey, let's have Tomok's younger brother greet her!"

Instead of someone reasonable, like Jyuta, the hyetzu chose the biggest and most brutish of them to greet the felesian. It was more of a joke on their part than them wanting to see this white furred felesian getting smashed to bits. Torok was, by all accounts, a massive beast of a hyetzu. He stood well over anyone in the region and had the muscles to boast. Even his laboured breaths were intimidating. Unfortunately, the hyetzu cared more for strength than intelligence and had neglected to care for Torok's mind.

Torok came out from the gates with a jagged greatsword in one hand. He looked around for the intruder his brethren told him about until his eyes came upon the small figure near the wall.

"Uh, hello! Is anyone there?"

Torok cocked his head as he circled the child. He lowered his large head and practically shoved his nose into her back to smell her. Then he lifted himself and looked up to the hyetzu archers who were laughing up a storm.

"You?" his voice boomed. "You lost?"

Torok did not know what manners were. His prodding of the felesian spoke more of a child's curiosity than anything harmful. He certainly had the mind of a pup. His large fingers pulled down Kijani's hood and felt her fur.

"You soft. Not Torok, Torok rough, yeah? You smell different too."

"Torok! What are you doing? She's royalty! Look at her hood!" hollered one hyetzu.

Torok immediately pulled the hood over Kijani's head and once his eyes settled on the Minoan symbol, he recoiled backwards until he fell to the ground.

"Torok sorry! Torok did not know soft cat special."

The hyetzu archers held onto their stomachs as they laughed even harder.

"Bring her inside Torok!"

Torok nodded his head, picked up the felesian, and placed her on his shoulder. He marched into the gates leading to the ruin's centre plaza. All the while Torok whistled a soft lovely tune as he lumbered forwards.

Drumbeat had fallen asleep again square in the middle of town. He was like a huge pile of fur and muscles – well, except for his belly – that simply lay there snoring like a dragon. When he finally did wake up, he looked around rather sheepishly, realizing he’d overslept.

The bear-man stood up and stretched his huge arms, giving a giant yawn before he looked around, blinking and scratching his round stomach. He saw Jyuta speaking with a stranger… a very strange stranger, to boot: an odd, pale felesian, of a type even Drumbeat was unfamiliar with.

Interested, the verrbjorn lumbered on over, still looking somewhat drowsy-eyed. He offered Jyuta a small smile of greetings, but he observed quietly, not saying anything to interrupt Jyuta’s question to the felesian.

Kijani's head was on a swivel, turning and tilting from side-to-side as she tried to hear what was being said around her. Mostly what she could hear was the laughing.

Some moments later, she heard unstealthy footsteps approaching, accompanied by deep labored breathing. "Uh, who's —Gah!" she started, turning in the direction of the sounds, only to give a tiny cry of surprise as a snout was pretty much shoved into her back. She flinched away, but the snout had already been removed. Taking a deep breath through her nose herself, she caught an unmistakeable scent —hyetzu, though perhaps a bit riper than typical.

"You? You lost?"

She turned her head more-or-less in the direction the voice had come from, as the voice boomed out. "Uh, y-yes" she stuttered awkwardly. "Y-you see— Ah!" She broke off in another cry of surprise as her hood was pulled down and a massive hand ruffled the fur on her head, trying to duck away from the pawing limb.

"You soft. Not Torok, Torok rough, yeah? You smell different too."

"Uh, t-thanks, um... Torok. But—"

"Torok! What are you doing? She's royalty! Look at her hood!"

'... Royalty?' was her first confused thought, as another speaker yelled out from somewhere above, the laughter intensifying. Wait... her hood? Did they think the Minoan Alliance symbol meant she was royalty? Or... was this all some sort of joke? It had to be a joke, right?

"Torok sorry! Torok did not know soft cat special."

"Bring her inside Torok!"

"Um, I can wal— eeh!" she started to say, only to feel herself swept off her feet by fearsomely strong arms. For a moment, she wriggled in panic, considering whether to go for her tiny dagger. But, before she could decide, she felt herself seated on the hyetzu's massively-muscled shoulder. Oh.

"Uh huh, right..." was all she could mutter in reply, still a bit stunned by the sheer strangeness of it all. Though, she couldn't help but think Torok's description of this 'Jyuta' sounded a bit like her commander at Maul Rock when chewing out a subordinate —although the latter tended to question her troops ancestry in rather crude terms a lot more...

A short time later, she felt her carrier stop and bend down, and after a moment she dismounted, managing not to fall.

"Who're you?"

Kijani turned her head towards the speaker's voice —apparently, most people found it 'unnerving' if one didn't look at them while talking, so she did her best, though for all she knew she was staring at a wall—, she presumed this was Jyuta.

"I-I'm" she stuttered for a moment, momentarily distracted by the approach of lumbering footsteps that sounded even bigger than Torok's, before she finally got her brain working properly again. "I am Kijani of the Minoan Alliance, a healer" she introduced herself, standing tall and proud, as her mother would have wanted her to. "I was heading from the outpost at Maul Rock to Cro-Cabra, but I seem to have lost my way" she continued, doing her best not to let her embarrassment show.

"... What is this place?" she asked after a moment, some piece of knowledge trying to work its way up from the depths of her memory. 'Lot's of hyetzi, not far from Cro-Cabra, I should know this...' Where was she?

"This means I will not have to regret sending back their envoy short a few limbs."